How I Became a Design Researcher

Abstract

No one trajectory leads to becoming a design researcher. This paper is an interim overview of one case of a designer who became a design researcher. Through concerns derived from experience as a designer and a design teacher, and learning from observations of children designing, some fundamental questions were formulated under the common theme of design cognition. Two major lines of research were undertaken over the years: first, modeling and measuring design reasoning. This is done with linkography, which is a system for the notation and analysis of design activities based on protocols. With linkography light can be shed on the structure of the design process and its quality, especially its creativity. Second, visual thinking in design and primarily the generation of sketches and the use of visual stimuli are investigated. Experimental work confirms the importance of visual thinking in designing. Keywords.